Compensation for high losses
In the future, Prigozhin will recruit mercenaries in 42 cities
03/10/2023 4:58 p.m
The Wagner mercenary group is the only Russian combat unit that can currently boast of major land gains in the Ukraine. However, they are paid for with enormously high losses. In order to be able to compensate, her boss Prigozhin wants to open recruitment centers in more than 40 cities.
The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has announced the opening of 58 recruitment centers in Russia. “Recruitment centers were opened in 42 cities of the Russian Federation on behalf of Wagner,” the businessman explained on the Telegram channel of his company Concord. “New fighters are arriving there, they will join us to defend their country and their families.”
Prigozhin stressed: “Despite the colossal resistance of the Ukrainian armed forces, we will move forward.” Among other things, the Wagner mercenaries play a central role in the battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which has been going on for months.
Only during the course of the Russian invasion of Ukraine did Prigozhin openly admit to being the head of the mercenary group. The allegation has existed for a very long time, but until now he has vehemently denied this fact. Videos appeared on social media in which Prigozhin spoke to Russian prisoners, urging their involvement in the Wagner group. In return, he promised them remission of their punishment. According to Western experts, tens of thousands of men followed his call. In the meantime, the size of the mercenary group was estimated at around 50,000 fighters. However, Prigozhin was prohibited from being recruited into prisons. This is probably due to tensions between the Wagner boss and the Russian army leadership.
Mercenaries to overrun Ukrainian positions
The fighters recruited from prisons are deployed in Ukraine, primarily in the region around the cities of Soledar and Bakhmut. However, they are poorly prepared for their combat missions and are said to be significantly worse equipped than classic Wagner fighters. According to the Ukrainian military, their task was to run in waves towards Ukrainian positions and, if possible, to overrun them. So the defenders of the cities should be constantly put under pressure. In addition, the positions of the defenders should be revealed in such a way that the Russian artillery could fire on them.
The losses among these freshly recruited Wagner fighters are said to be particularly high. The image of the “meat grinder” through which the fighters would be turned was often used. Western experts estimate that half of them will not survive the war. Unconfirmed estimates suggest that around 30,000 of the group’s fighters have already been killed or injured. At the beginning of January, a US secret service representative spoke of 4,100 dead and around 10,000 injured Wagner fighters. Since then, the intensity of the fighting has increased significantly.